Takeaways from the NSF 2021 Conference

Last week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) held their annual conference, virtually. This conference is great particularly for early career researchers considering applying to the NSF for funding. Below are some of the big takeaways from the conference.

First, and excitingly, the NSF mentioned the priorities they have put forward in the 2022 Presidential Discretionary Budget Request, stating "The 2022 discretionary request includes major investments to tackle the climate crisis through climate and clean energy research, boost research and development, advance racial equity in science and engineering, and bolster U.S. leadership in critical and emerging technologies." (pp. 35-36). This signals that researchers focused on technology, climate, and racial equity in STEM should get ready to apply to the NSF if they aren't already in there!

NSF Program Directors provided several tips for PIs in applying. These included reading the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). I was struck in the Q&A during to the Introduction and Interview session that every other response was look at the PAPPG.

The other takeaway was the recommendation of "Ask early, ask often," which also echoed throughout the conference. The idea is that you should be in contact with your Program Officers as you consider applying to the NSF and then as you're developing your proposal. And don't forget about the early part! You should begin the process of researching the NSF and if they're a good fit for you about six months before the deadline.

One of the last things that I found particularly interesting was that when one participant asked an NSF Program Officer how they defined systemic racism, given the NSF's priority around racial equity in STEM, the PO responded that the NSF doesn't define these terms and that they leave it to the PI to define and justify their approach. I'll note that I found this problematic, but was happy that there was some guidance on how to approach racial equity given the NSF's new priorities.

Given that the NSF's entire conference was virtual, all of the presentations are now online. I encourage folks to check them out!

Resources:

NSF Conference Recordings

President's Discretionary Funding Request